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2. Bullying, Confidentiality and a Parent's Need to Know: How Much Information Should a School Provide?

A special educator wrote: "A child with disabilities was the victim of bullies. The child's parent wants to know who the bullies are, what consequences they faced, and what happened at a meeting with their parents. How much information about another student is too much to share with a parent?"

In Bullying, Confidentiality and a Parent's Need to Know, Pete and Pam answer questions about confidentiality and the parents' need to have information about their child. Pam suggests a strategy to help the teacher can understand the parent's perceptions, concerns and fears.

Pete describes similarities between bullying at school and similar incidents in other places, the need to provide information that will help to dispel the parents' fears. If handled improperly, these incidents cause parents and the public to develop negative perceptions of the school.

School should be a place where children feel safe and secure and where they are treated with respect. In reality, many students are targets of bullying that causes serious, long-term academic, physical, and emotional consequences.

* What is bullying and how prevalent is the problem?
* What happens when teachers and administrators fail to intervene?
* What impact does bullying have on targeted students?
* What can schools do to prevent bullying?
* How can other students discourage bullying?

4. Free Pub: Protecting Students from Harassment and Hate Crimes: A Guide for Schools

"Research indicates that creating a supportive school climate is the most important step in preventing harassment. A school can have policies and procedures, but these alone will not prevent harassment . . . but good preventive work the field [will] help ensure that schools provide a safe and welcoming environment for all students."

On Tuesday, February 27, the U. S. Supreme Court heard Sandee and Jeff Winkelman’s case against their Ohio school district. The Justices will resolve a split among circuits about whether non-lawyer parents may represent the interests of their children with disabilities in federal court.

This case generated intense interest after the Cleveland Bar Association launched an investigation of the Winkelman’s and other parents for the Unauthorized Practice of Law (UPL) after the parents received an adverse decision from the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Article about Cleveland Bar's Battle with Parents

You will find background information, links to pleadings, amicus briefs, and cases, along with articles about the case on the Winkelman Parma page. The Justices are expected to issue their decision before the end of this session.

On Monday, Feb 26, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Bd of Ed of New York City v. Tom F. et al. (06-637)

The Court will decide whether the parents of a disabled child are entitled to reimbursement for private school tuition if the child had not previously received special education from the public school system or other government agencies.

In Board of Education of New York City v. Tom F., et al., the child has attended a private school that does not have an approved special education program. The boy's parents refused to place him in a public school program, kept him in the private school, and obtained tuition reimbursement. The New York City school system lost in an appeal to the Second Circuit.

We will bring you more information about this case as it is available.

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